Serving trays for group application to the tops of square living room tables



D. W. GRANT SERVING TRAYS FOR GROUP APPLICATION TO THE TOPS OF SQUARELIVING ROOM TABLES Filed NOV. 7, 1956 March 11, 1958 INVENTOR. DawsonWdranf,

S ATTORNEY United States Patent O SERVING TRAYS FOR GROUP APPLICATION TOTHE TOPS OF SQUARE LIVING ROOM TABLES Denison W. Grant, Palm Springs,Calif.

Application November 7, 1956, Serial No. 620,97

2 Claims. (Cl. 311-106) This invention relates to improvements inserving trays for group application in quadrate relation to the top of asquare living room table such as a coffee or card table, the inventionbeing specifically an improvement upon the aggroupment of serving traysshown in Figure 4 of may Patent No. 2,690,941 of October 5, 1954.

The objects of the invention are (1) to provide serving trays for use ina combination of four arranged in abutting relation to form a rectangle,presupposing four diners at the table, and which are similar in form anddimensions and in each instance are specially shaped in plan toaccommodate a complete place setting for a single individual within aminimum of space, each tray having a wider portion at one enddimensioned to pro vide a space for a plate and cutlery and a narrowerportion at the opposite end dimensioned to provide a space for a saucer;(2) to provide such serving trays wherein all liability of thedisplacement of any items of the setting beyond the tray is positivelyprevented; (3) to provide such serving trays which are held againstaccidental displacement relatively to the table; (4) to provide suchserving trays which may be placed cornerwise upon any rectangularkitchen table while the place setting and the viands are beingpositioned and readily carried to the living room table to be placedupon it in an exact cornerwise fitting; (5) to provide such servingtrays which, as a combination of four arranged in abutting relation toform a rectangle, delimit an open central space for condiments, theserving trays being constructed to support a central condiment tray; (6)to provide such serving trays wherein the table setting and the viandswill be so favorably located relatively to the center of mass that theirweight will not cause the tipping of the trays as supported upondepending marginal extensions in mutual right angular relation; and (7)to provide such serving trays in a form in which they may readily bemade from light weight material such as fiberglas or any desirableplastic.

According to the invention the trays are five-sided, in each instancehaving two outer longer and shorter sides in right angular relation anda series of three inner sides, the two endmost inner sides of the seriesbeing equal in length and extending respectively to ends of the longerand shorter outer side and the intermediate inner side being parallel tothe longer outer side and forming suitable obtuse angles with theendmost sides;

-in the assembled relation of the trays upon the table top to form arectangle the longer outer side of one tray and the shorter outer sideof an adjacent tray are in alinement at the same side of the table, theendmost side of the inner series of one tray abuts the relativelyopposite endrnost side of the inner series of the adjacent tray and thefour intermediate sides of the inner series of the trays delimit acentral open rectangular space for condiments; the five sides of eachtray are formed with upright walls which prevent displacement from thetray of any items of the tableware setting; and the two outer sides ofeach tray are extended downward for a suitable 2,826,469 Patented Mar.11,1958

extent below the bottom of the tray in order to abut cornerwise themeeting sides of the top of the table and to provide finger grips belowand beyond the bottom of the tray.

In the drawing:

Figure 1 -is a plan view of the four associated trays as fitted to thetop of a square living room table.

Figure 2 is a side elevation showing a side face of the table top andthe longer and shorter sides of two adjoining trays.

Figure 3 is a vertical sectional view along the line 3-3 of Figure 1.

Figure 4 is a perspective view of one of the serving trays.

Figure 5 is a perspective view of a square condiment tray which, ifdesired, may be arranged over the central open space delimited by theserving trays and supported upon the projections which provide theintermediate sides of the'inner sides.

The serving trays, designated generally as l, are arranged, as shown inFigure 1, in a group of four upon the top of a square living room table,the trays being distinguished from one another by the designations A, B,C and D.

Each tray has longer and shorter outer sides 2 and 3 in right angularrelation and a series of three inner sides which consist of two endmostsides 4 and 5 and an intermediate side 6. The sides 4 and 5 are of thesame length and each forms an obtuse angle with the side 6, the side 4joining the side 3 at an obtuse angle and the side 5 joining the side 2at an acute angle. The several tray sides are constituted by shortvertical projections 7 which extend in upright relation from the traybottom 8. The sides 2 and 3 are provided with short downward extensions9 and 10 which, as shown in Figures 2 and 3, adjoin the vertical sidesof the table top T and enable the cornerwise fitting of the trays uponsuch top.

The trays may, of course, be made of any suitable material but arepreferably made of a moldable material such as the well known fiberglasor any other suitable plastic, the projections 7 in such cases being ofinverted U shaped cross section as shown in Figure 3 and having innerand outer walls 11 and 12, the extensions 9 and 10 being formed ascontinuations of the outer walls 12 of the projections which provide thesides 2 and 3, and the walls 12 of the projections which provide theinner series of tray sides having their lower edges in overhangingrelation to the face of the table top T.

In positioning the trays each tray is initially placed cornerwise insupporting engagement with the table top T and with its outer sides 2and 3 suitably spaced from and adjacent corresponding sides of the tabletop and is then pushed inward until the extensions 9 and 10 adjoin thetable top. With each tray positioned in this manner the side 5 of tray Awill adjoin the side 4 of tray B and the sides 5 and 4 of adjacent trayswill similarly adjoin throughout the group of trays. The sides 6 of theinner series delimit a central rectangular space in which condiments maybe placed. If desired this space may be occupied by a rectangular tray Rhaving marginal horizontal flanges which rest upon the projections 7that,

provide the sides 6, the condiments being placed upon the bottom of thetray R rather than upon the top of the table.

The place setting of a tray is shown in Figure 1 in the case of the trayA and is the same for all of the trays, such setting consisting of theusual arrangement of plate, cutlery and saucer. It will be noted thateach tray has its greatest dimension from front to rear between theouter side 2 and the intermediate inner side 6 and that the dimensionsof the tray from front to rear progressively diminish toward the outerside 3, The

lengthwise dimension of the tray'bottom is ample to provide space for aplate, table cutlery and saucer. The dimension of the tray bottombetween the longer outer side 2 and the intermediate inner side 6 isample to provide space for a plate and the cutlery and the diminishingdimensions between the endmost side 4 of the inner series and the side 2are ample to provide space for a saucer.

The dinner to be served is what has come to be known as a plate dinner.The place setting and viands may be placed upon the trays in the kitchenand the trays thereupon brought to the table or, if preferred, the traysmay be positioned upon. the table and the setting made at the table. Ifthe place setting and viands be placed upon the trays in the kitchen thetray will rest upon the kitchen table from which it'will be supported bythe extensions 9 and 10 of the outer sides 2 and 3. The dimensions andangular relations of the several sides of each tray are such that assupported from a kitchen table by the extensions 9 and 10 of the outersides 2 and 3 the table setting and the viands will be so favorablylocated relatively to the center of mass that their weight will notcause the tipping of the tray. As is obvious the projections 7 willprevent the displacement of any item of the setting of a particular trayfrom that tray to an adjacent tray. In carrying the trays from thekitchen to the table the sides 2 and 3 will be grasped, the fingersbeing placed under the extensions 9 and 10 and the thumbs upon the upperfaces of the projections 7. The trays, in removal from the table at thecompletion of the meal, are grasped in like manner. be served bygrasping the projections 7 which provide the sides 2 and 3 and pullingthe trays slightly outward,

thereupon grasping them in the manner described and lifting them fromthe table.

The particular dimensions of the trays will, of course, vary with thedimensions of the table top, the sides of card table tops usually havinga range from thirty inches as a minimum to thirty-three inches. In thecase of the top of a card table of minimum dimensions, thirty inchessquare, the trays will provide ample room for the place settings and forthe central rectangular space in which condiments may be placed.

I claim:

1. An aggroupment of four similar serving trays for application to asquare table top in abutting quadrate relation wherein each tray ischaracterized by a bottom and five marginal sides of which two are outersides and Convenience may- '4 and the three inner sides consisting oftwo endmost sides of equal length and an intermediate side which meetsthe endmost sides at obtuse angles, one of the endmost sides meeting theshorter outer side at an obtuse angle and the other endmost side meetingthe longer outer side at an acute angle, the sides of each tray beingcharacterized by projections in upright relation extending from thebottom of the tray, the projections which provide the longer and shorterouter sides being formed with downward extensions for abuttingengagement with meeting sides of the table top when the tray, inapplication to the table top, is moved to its definite position in theaggroupment, the trays, as assembled on the table top, being in arelation wherein an endmost side of one tray adjoins a relativelyopposite endmost side of an adjacent tray, the longer and shorter outersides of two adjacent trays are in alining relation adjacent acorresponding side of the table top and the intermediate sides of theinner series delimit a centrally located rectangular open space, thedimensions of each tray taken respectively between the shorter outerside and the endmost inner side.

which meets the longer outer side being sufficient to provide space fora plate, table cutlery and a saucer, between the longer outer side andthe intermediate inner side being sufiicient to provide space for aplate and table cutlery and diminishingly between the longer outer sideand the endmost inner side which meets the shorter outer side beingsuflicient to provide space for a saucer.

2. An aggroupment of serving trays as set forthin claim 1 wherein theprojections which provide the sides of the trays are of invertedU-shaped cross section and have inner and outer vertical walls, theinner walls extending upward from the bottoms of the trays, and theouter vertical walls of the projections which provide the longer andshorter outer sides of the tray are formed with downward extensions forabutting engagement with the meeting sides of the table top when thetray, in application to the table top, is moved to its definite positionin the aggroupment, the outer walls of the projections which provide theinner sides of the tray having. their lower edges in overhangingrelation to-the table top.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTSKelleghan June 5', 1951'

